On November 1, 1968, Charles Rogers of Fayette County earned the Medal of Honor for his actions during a battle in the Vietnam War. The 40-year-old Rogers had previously received Army ROTC training at West Virginia State College (now University).

In the early hours of November 1, he was commanding an army infantry battalion near the Cambodian border. The fire-support base he was protecting was under attack from heavy shelling and a ground wave assault.

On October 2, 1867, Storer College was founded in Harpers Ferry. It was established by the Freewill Baptist Church two years after the Civil War to educate freed slaves in the Shenandoah Valley.

Storer was integrated and coeducational from the start. Before present West Virginia State University was established in 1891, Storer was the only college open to African-Americans in West Virginia. Frederick Douglass served on Storer’s board of trustees and spoke on campus in 1881.

Educator John Warren Davis died in New Jersey on July 12, 1980, at age 92. The Georgia native moved to Kanawha County in 1919 to become president of what was then called West Virginia Collegiate Institute.

He quickly bolstered the school’s faculty and curriculum, making it one of the first four black colleges in the United States—and the first public college in West Virginia—to be accredited. In 1929, it became West Virginia State College—and is now a University.

Wertz Field opened at Institute in Kanawha County on July 4, 1930. Named for Charleston’s mayor, it was the first airport in the Kanawha Valley to offer scheduled airline service.

In 1933, American Airlines began passenger service between Washington and Chicago via Wertz Field, and, in 1935, more flights and air freight service were added.

Passengers could wait for flights in a small but modern administration building. Wertz had three grass runways, each just long enough to accommodate an early Douglas DC-3 but inadequate for most larger planes of the 1930s.

African-American educator Fannie Cobb Carter died on March 29, 1973, six months after her 100th birthday.

She was born in Charleston in 1872, just months before the state’s new constitution prohibited black children and white children from attending school together.

After earning a teaching degree from Storer College in Harpers Ferry, Cobb returned home to teach in Kanawha County’s public schools. In 1908, she organized the teacher-training department at West Virginia Colored Institute, which is now West Virginia State University.

A report looking at higher education in West Virginia has recommended merging the governing boards of Bluefield State College, Concord University, Glenville State College and West Virginia State University.

The report labels those four schools "medium risk to high risk" in sustainability. It says the four are "sustainable in the short-term, but their futures are uncertain." The report recommended the move, in the short term, for Bluefield and Concord, and in the long term for Glenville and WVSU.

A five-year contract extension has been approved for West Virginia State University's president.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports President Anthony L. Jenkins' new contract goes into effect July 1 and ends in 2023. The contract was approved Friday by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. He was first hired on a two-year contract in July 2016.

For many teens the prom is the epitome of their high school experience. But for students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer, it can be a challenge to feel like they belong. This year, some West Virginia students decided to start a new tradition: The Rainbow Formal, the state's first dance for LGBTQ youth.

West Virginia State University is planning to freeze the cost of tuition for a portion of its student body starting next fall.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the university announced Monday afternoon that students who participate in the Yellow Jacket Connection program, which allows high school students to earn credit toward a diploma and a college degree, will be eligible for the new tuition loyalty program.

On March 17, 1891, the West Virginia Legislature established the West Virginia Colored Institute eight miles west of Charleston. It was one of the nation’s original 17 black land-grant colleges.The school’s initial purpose was to teach trades, but the academic and teacher education programs quickly grew popular. Under the leadership of John W. Davis, the school became one of the country’s most-respected black colleges. Davis was able to recruit some of the nation’s best educators, including Carter G. Woodson. Other faculty members were nationally known artists, musicians, and scientists.

West Virginia State University is inaugurating Anthony L. Jenkins as its 11th president this week.

The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. Friday in Ferrell Hall. A ceremonial tree planting will be held at about 3:30 p.m., and a reception in honor of Jenkins and celebrating the university's 126th anniversary will follow at the James C. Wilson University Union.

A West Virginia native is one of the elite team of female African-American mathematicians at NASA featured in a new film, "Hidden Figures."

The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington reports the film tells the story of West Virginia State University graduate Katherine Johnson, now in her 90s, who helped win the space race against the Soviet Union. She is played by "Empire" star Taraji P. Henson.

State agriculture representative’s spokes with farmers Wednesday at a Meet-and-Greet in Institute. The discussion was meant to help the farmers with any issues.

The West Virginia State University Extension Service hosted the Meet-and-Greet to help local farmers touch base with different government agencies that could help them. Participating agencies included the USDA, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Capitol Conservation District, West Virginia AgrAbility and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.

22-year-old Takeiya Smith is a student at West Virginia State University, a historically black institution of higher education. Takeiya says over the past few years, as racial tensions have become more visible across the country, she’s become more vocal about the importance of racial justice, but she didn’t always like to speak up.

While she was in middle and high school in Putnam county, Takeiya says she did experience racism, but she mostly kept quiet because she didn’t want to cause any trouble. In this interview, she talks about some of her experiences.

On West Virginia Morning, a complete wrap up of the results of the state’s primary election, plus PROMISE scholarships are on hold until after a state budget is determined and West Virginia State University has a new president.

These stories on West Virginia Morning from West Virginia Public Broadcasting – telling West Virginia’s story.

The West Virginia State University Board of Governors named the university’s 11th president today.

Dr. Anthony Jenkins will serve as the next president of West Virginia State University. He’ll officially take the post on July 1. Jenkins replaces former president Brian Hemphill who left the university to become the president of Radford University in Virginia.

West Virginia State University has a full day of activities planned for its Earth Day celebration on April 25.

The university says the celebration starts at 9:30 a.m. and is to include presentations, movie screenings and exhibitors, including electric cars on display in front of the James C. Wilson University Union. The events are free and open to the public.

Last week, a collaborative project between West Virginia State University, the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and the World Health Organization brought thousands of scholars, researchers, professionals and students to Dubai for a conference titled “Solutions for Better Life”. Kara Lofton sat down with West Virginia Commissioner of Public Health Rahul Gupta, who was a keynote speaker at the conference, to talk about the experience.